Customers to Companies: Be Like a Dog, Not a Cat

Many support organizations today are like cats. Allow me to explain.

Cats are known for being a bit stand-offish. They are hardly ever proactive, want attention on their time, and most approach life with a feeling of entitlement. Dogs, on the other hand, faithfully greet you at the door with a smile and are grateful for every pet, treat, and game of fetch.

Today’s consumers want brands to act like dogs. They want them to be proactive and helpful and be grateful for the business. And now more than ever, customers have the ability to quickly turn to a competitor if their expectations aren’t met. So, when it comes to customer service, how can you be a consumer’s best friend?

Know your customers: Customers crave convenience. Most of them spend a shocking average of 11 hours each day on screens,1 so that’s likely where they’ll be meeting you for support. The problem is, there’s a lot that happens on those screens. The average consumer owns 3.6 connected devices2 and uses 27 different apps, so they might reach out to your customer service team through email, live chat, phone, text, social media, mobile apps, and even a combination of the above. And when they contact you — in any of these channels — they expect to be recognized, immediately.

Personalize your interactions: It’s important to go beyond just knowing your customers name — or their preferred channel of communication. According to IBM, 75 percent of consumers “are more likely to buy from a retailer that recognizes them, recommends options based on past purchases, or knows their purchase history.” In contrast, most consumers are annoyed by agents who aren’t aware of past interactions, and it’s all the worse if that agent is preceded by an interactive voice recording that keeps repeating, “Sorry, I didn’t understand. Please try again.”

Provide undivided attention: When customers face an issue that warrants them taking time out of their day to contact you for support, they expect undivided attention. If they’re put on hold or transferred to a different channel, 76 percent of them drop off.3 But, that’s rarely the end of it: these irritated customers then often go to social media or online reviews to vent, and that’s when customer service issues become company-wide problems.

So, given these demands, what does it take for your business to deliver a “wow” experience? It takes a solution that ties all of these pieces together and helps agents provide personalized service regardless of channel and quickly deliver the resolutions customers are looking for. A single, central, source of customer truth which empowers your agents to provide remarkable support. Enter Bold360, an intelligent customer engagement solution that:

Allows all channels to meet at one central point

Bold360 offers omni-channel support which means that customers can interact with your brand through a variety of channels, including self-service, live chat, email, Facebook Messenger and more; and your agents can manage all of these interactions from a single screen. Bold360 also includes lightweight remote support tools, so agents have the right tools at their fingertips to resolve customer issues quickly.

Arms agents with a 360-degree view of the customer

Using the intelligence gained from previous interactions and pulling in data from disparate systems like CRMs and ticketing solutions, Bold360 provides agents with a 360-degree view of each customer at the point of engagement. Bold360 presents a rich customer profile, including records of all previous interactions, in a simple, intuitive interface, so agents can quickly access the information they need to provide efficient, effective and personalized service.

Makes first-contact-resolution (FCR) the norm

Bold360 improves your customer service and allows agents to focus on the big problems by automating many of the routine interactions. The majority of customer support inquiries fall into this category, and this allows agents to focus more effort on the difficult issues and deliver FCR where it matters most.

Today’s customers’ expectations may be sky-high, but they aren’t complicated. They want to be treated like people, and it’s up to you to arm your agents with the tools that turn them into your customers’ best friends.

Watch our video to see how Bold360 can help you deliver a smarter, more “dog-like” customer experience.